EMERY BARNES PARK

Emery Barnes was a Canadian football player and politician. Born in the United States, Barnes came to BC to play football for the BC Lions from 1962 to 1964. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of British Columbia before being elected to the BC legislature for five consecutive terms. Barnes was the first black person in any Canadian Province to be elected Speaker of the Legislature. Emery Barnes was particularly interested in issues relating to social justice, human rights, and poverty.

In 2003, the City of Vancouver named a park in Barnes' honour. The park is an oasis in the downtown core and is always well used by children playing on the playground or in the water feature, dogs in the off-leash area, and people sitting on the benches. The park was finally completed in 2012 and has since become a neighbourhood favourite.